The Instinct to Comfort
by ihadtoputitsomewhere
Summary: This takes place in the episode "The Overlooked," when Scott and Stiles get to Derek's loft to tell him about Jennifer. We don't really get to see that go down, so this is my take on how it could have gone. OR Stiles needs some hugs and Scott can totally tell.


**This takes place in the episode "The Overlooked," when Scott and Stiles get to Derek's loft to tell him about Jennifer. We don't really get to see that go down, so this is my take on how it could have gone.**

"It's her!" I yelled as Stiles and I heaved open the metal door to Derek's loft. "Derek, where are you!"

"Derek?" Stiles called out. Derek came around a corner wearing a confused and slightly pissed off expression. I ran over to him and began trying to explain.

"It's her. The Darach, the killer, it's Jennifer. Jennifer Blake, she's the one sacrificing people."

"Yeah, the one strangling people and cutting their throats and bashing their heads in. It's her, it's been her the whole time." Stiles chimed in.

"Derek, we have to do something, we have to—"

"Whoa. Hold on a minute." Derek interrupted. "Start over. Slowly."

I took a deep breath. "Jennifer Blake, our English teacher is the one who's been killing people. The healers, the warriors, the guardians, the virgins…all of them. And tonight, at the school she…she tried to kill Lydia. She…" I looked at Stiles beside me, who was looking at the floor. "Jennifer took the sheriff." I said softly.

Derek looked at Stiles. "Stiles?" he prodded.

Stiles looked up at Derek and swallowed hard. "Yeah. Yeah she, uh…she took my dad." I felt his heart rate jump over the word "dad," and I felt the sudden urge to reach over and hug him.

Derek stared at Stiles for a beat before starting on a plan. "Okay. I believe you. Jennifer will most likely come here next. She thinks I don't know anything. You two need to stay hidden until the right moment. There's a room through those doors that isn't visible when you walk through the front door. Stay there until it's okay to come out."

"How will we know—" Stiles began.

"You'll know. Now go, before she sees you."

Stiles and I turned to take our places in the room just beyond the double doors.

"Stiles," Derek called out. Stiles stopped walking and turned around to face him. "We're going to find your father."

Stiles gave Derek a half smile that didn't quite reach his eyes, before continuing behind me into the room.

We sat down next to each other on the spare bed that no one had ever used and stared at the ground in silence. Stiles' heartbeat pounded in my ears. It was almost deafening.

"He's gonna die, isn't he?" Stiles said, barely above a whisper. "We can't…we're just…he's gonna die, Scott. And it's my fault…" His voice broke off as silent tears fell from his once-radiant eyes. He squeezed them shut and tried to will them to stop, but still they fell. That's how Stiles suffered, silently. He never told anyone or complained to anyone or asked for help, he just…suffered. I wanted to help. I needed to help. So I placed my hand over his trembling one and squeezed. His long fingers wrapped around my palm and held tight. I felt his heartbeat slow up a bit, which was a good sign. Stiles sniffed and wiped his eyes with the back of his free hand. "Scott I don't…" he paused and looked at the floor. "I don't want to find my father's body."

I nodded and swallowed hard, trying to keep myself from breaking down into a jumbled mess of tears. "I know. This isn't just…our lives in danger, this is…this is our family. Our parents. We'll find them. We have to."

"How do you know?"

"I don't. To be completely honest, I have no clue as to where they are or how we can get there, but we'll find a way. We'll come up with a plan, we always do."

Stiles squeezed my hand, and I squeezed back, a silent gesture of comfort we had come to adopt these past few months. It was a way of saying, "it's okay. I've got you," without saying anything at all.

"I have t' find him, Scott. I have to, he's…he's all I have left. He's the only family I have. If he's gone…" Stiles eyebrows furrowed and he swallowed, shaking his head. I knew he was thinking about what would happen to him if the sheriff died. "I can't lose him too. Not both of them. I'm not…strong enough I—"

I couldn't do it anymore. I had to stop him, because I knew exactly where this was going. So I threw my arms around Stiles, cutting him off. I felt him do the same without hesitation.

He gripped onto the material of my shirt and held tight. He buried his face into my shoulder and choked out a sob. "I c—I can't…not without him. We have t—we have to…" he stammered, his voice shaky and raw with emotion. I stroked my thumb along his shoulder and ran my fingers through his hair, trying anything to help the pain subside. Suddenly, I heard footsteps running up the stairs to Derek's loft. I heard whoever it was yank the door open. Stiles, however, did not, and flinched when it slammed shut, the bang echoing through the cement rooms. His grip tightened for a split second and he gasped.

"Derek!" a voice called out. Jennifer.

"It's her, isn't it?" Stiles whispered.

"Yeah." I said softly. I lifted Stiles off of me and gripped both of his shoulders tight. "Don't give up. Not now, not when he needs you. We can do this. We'll find him, not just his body. Stiles, we are going to do this. I'm going to find him for you even if it kills me. Just…don't give up. Not now. Not yet."

Stiles' lower lip quivered as he nodded. He took a deep breath and stood up from the bed. He wiped the tears from his eyes and sniffed. Then the mask came. The mask he wore to make everyone think he was okay. The one he wore in front of pretty much everyone except for me because I could see through it. I could see the cracks and the dents. I could see the real Stiles, the one who was actually terrified and nervous and worried that someone he cared about, someone he loved was going to get hurt or worse.

I placed a hand on his shoulder and squeezed. "It's going to be okay." I said softly.

He nodded but was staring at the floor. I left his chin with my fingers so he was looked at me. "Do you trust me?" I asked. He nodded. "Then trust me when I tell you that everything is going to be okay."

He blinked away fresh tears that brimmed his eyes and threatened to fall. "Okay." He whispered. "Let's get this bitch." He smiled with sad eyes.

I smiled back and nodded once. I turned and started towards the room where Jennifer and Derek were conversing, Stiles following close behind.

We were going to get this bitch.


End file.
